All About
Multiple Sclerosis has grown into an enormous site and present and future
projects will make it even larger. It has become more than a full-time
job for one person. The costs of running it - web hosting, domain name
costs, online time, other ISP charges and other costs grow continually.

So far, I have funded
the site entirely out of my own pocket, both in terms of these charges
and my time. Because my own personal funds are becoming exhausted, I can
no longer work full-time on the site without external funding.

As a result we are
forming a charitable organisation called the Multiple Sclerosis Information
Trust the purpose of which is to raise funds to keep this project going.
I have written a "manifesto" for this organisation which I have put up
on the site.

I would like to emphasise
that I do not envision this change of status to affect the site in any
way at all. I am committed to delivering free, independent, up-to-date
and accurate information about multiple sclerosis in a concise and readable
form.

I would appreciate
any input, good and bad, on this document or on how we might raise funds.
Please email me your thoughts at jones.paul@btconnect.com. I cannot answer personal health queries - you should discuss these with your GP or neurologist.

Happy Birthday

All About
Multiple Sclerosis is now entering it's third year. Formed in late November
1999 under the name "Laetoli Man's Multiple Sclerosis Pages, it has undergone
several changes and a huge expansion. It's become my full-time job.

Thanks

I would
particularly like to thank the following people for their input into "All
About Multiple Sclerosis".

Caroline Stone
for organising the formation the charity and for a steady stream of ideas
and constructive criticism. Her constant and unwavering support has been
invaluable.

Thanks also for all
your wonderful guestbook entries and email - these words of praise and
encouragment have make this whole venture possible.

And last but not
least I would like to thank everyone who has visted the site whether or
not you choose to make yourself known to me. This site is for you and you
alone.

The Redesign

I would
like to thank all those who answered the poll on the design. I appreciate
that some of you found certain features hard to use but the current design
seems to accomodate the majority of views expressed. Rest assured that
I will continue to seek ways of improving the look and feel so that the
site does not grow stale and remains accessable to its users.

In particular, I
remain committed to a simple interface with no banner adverts, flashing
widgets and gizmos and clashing colours. In the future, it may be necessary
to carry logos from sponsors but I shall insist that these do not clash
with the essential simplicity of the site.

Font Size

For those
that have have problems reading the current font, there are browser options
in both Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator to enlarge it.

In Internet Explorer,
go to the menu bar just above this page, select "View", "Text Size" and
choose "Largest". This will increase the font size.

In Netscape Navigator
4, go to the menu bar, select "View" then "Increase Font" which will increase
the font size. You can do this repeatedly to get an enormous font if you
so choose. Pressing the "Ctrl" key and the "]" at the same time will achieve
the same result.

Netscape has the
ability to give you much larger fonts than Internet Explorer.

I am looking for
ways to automate text enlargement via a button on the site.

The Java Frames

The java
frames have not proved to be very popular. The intention was to make site
navigation simpler but I realise that most people do not have enough screen
space to make use of these.

You can
mail me at jones.paul@btconnect.com,
my mailbox gets very full and my workload spirals out of control so I cannot
guarantee a swift reply, but I love getting your mails. I cannot answer personal
health queries - you should discuss these with your GP or neurologist.